Two tornadoes were also reported near the city, which was battered by winds of up to 80 m.p.h. on Wednesday. Other parts of the Midwest were under severe thunderstorm warnings.
Destructive thunderstorms lashed Omaha, Neb., on Wednesday evening, leaving more than 200,000 customers without power, shutting down the city’s airport and felling trees. Two tornadoes were reported on the city’s outskirts, the National Weather Service said.
The storms swept across south-central Nebraska on Wednesday evening, bringing wind gusts of 65 to 80 miles per hour, according to the Weather Service, before moving east into Iowa, where tree damage was also reported in the Des Moines area. By about 9:20 p.m., the storms had weakened, the Weather Service said. Other parts of the Midwest, including in Kansas and South Dakota, were also under severe thunderstorm warnings.
One tornado was reported in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, just east of Omaha, and another in Cass County, Neb., to the city’s southeast.
Weather Damage Around Omaha
Reports by trained spotters of tornadoes or high winds and damage believed to be caused by them.
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Eppley Airfield, Omaha’s main airport, closed temporarily to assess damage after the storms. Travelers should expect delays as operations resume, the airport said on social media.
The Omaha Public Power District, the state-owned utility, said at about 7:30 p.m. that more than 200,000 customers were without power because of the storm.
Neal Bonacci, a spokesman for the Omaha Police Department, said that the storm had felled many tree branches, and that there were reports of minor damages to homes. No injuries had been reported so far, he added.
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